Lichess is providing a live stream of the Women’s World Cup from the first quarter-final game on 19 July until the final tiebreaks on 28 July. Make sure to tune in to our Twitch or YouTube channels for live stream coverage with our host WIM Jesse February, joined by WCM Katharina Reinecke on most of the days, WCM Niushar Afshar on 23 & 24 July, and WIM Ellen Nilssen on 26 July. Every round starts at 11:00 UTC.
Tournament Information
OnTheQueenside, who covers women’s chess, has published a detailed overview of the 2025 Women’s World Cup, including background information on the event and its players and predictions of who will win. Check it out here.
Bracket
The single elimination bracket with the pairings for each round can be found here.
Annotations by WIM Silvia Raluca Sgîrcea
WIM Silvia Raluca Sgîrcea has annotated the following games from round 4 of the 2025 Women’s World Cup:
https://lichess.org/study/PmL7NbB1/O235ua2C#0
https://lichess.org/study/PmL7NbB1/Ixua7m76#0
https://lichess.org/study/PmL7NbB1/5ZsKLi0p#0
Overview
With the competition narrowed down to 16 players, Round 4 was a mix of confident match wins in the classical games, and intense tiebreaks. Tan Zhongyi, Song Yuxin, and Nana Dzagnidze comfortably won their matches against Yuliia Osmak, Lela Javakhishvili, and Mariya Muzychuk, respectively, with a score of 1.5-0.5. Lei Tingjie was also able to win 1.5-0.5 after her opponent, Umida Omonova, missed an opportunity to equalize the match in game 2. On the other hand, Humpy Koneru, Harika Dronavalli, and Divya Deshmukh eliminated their opponents, Alexandra Kosteniuk, Kateryna Lagno, and Zhu Jiner in the tiebreaks. In another thrilling tiebreak match, Vaishali Rameshbabu emerged as the winner in a dramatic series against Meruert Kamalidenova.
Elimination of a favourite
Zhu Jiner was one of the favourites to reach the Women’s World Cup Finals. However, in an already strong and highly competitive field amongst these final-16 players, being a favourite is no guarantee.
Divya Deshmukh made the best possible start in Round 4, by outplaying her opponent in a positional battle in the Najdorf. Throughout the game, White was able to steadily build an advantage, with superior pieces, winning the fight for the d5 square, as well as a b5 pawn being a possible target in Black’s camp. Despite a rushed Bd5, overlooking the stronger and practically challenging Qf3-h5, White entered a good knight vs. bad bishop endgame with the queens still on the board, which was more than ideal..
https://lichess.org/study/EozTSNqp/WiGvlQmQ#57
GM Zhu Jiner and IM Divya Deshmukh
Photo: Anna Shtourman / FIDE
With good technique, coordination of her knight and queen, as well as exploiting the weaknesses Zhu Jiner created her attempts to find some counterplay, Divya Deshmukh was able to convert her strategically winning position into a win.
The rematch would take a different turn, as Zhu was more than able to strike back, playing an opening which was much less popular, but gave her a complicated, imbalanced position. With the queens exchanged early in the game, White got a fairly unusual, possibly weakened, pawn structure, but with the bishop pair and potential for the initiative in return. An insufficiently active 18…Ng6, combined with unexpected backrank issues and White’s powerful bishops, allowed Zhu to take the upper hand.
https://lichess.org/study/BIaVOPDb/yWTqte9P#43
As the rook cannot be captured due to Black’s backrank issues (Bc4+ forcing the king to the corner would eventually win a piece and the rook back for White), White was able to activate her rook and infiltrate her opponent’s camp. Zhu was soon able to convert this superior piece activity into a material advantage, winning the game and sending the match to tiebreaks.
Zhu, having White in the first game of the tiebreaks, opted once more for a less common opening. However, his time, despite getting an edge, the game did not work in her favour. After 18.d5, which was reasonable but ultimately ill-timed, Black was able to equalize the position.
https://lichess.org/study/t2dlLvQ3/Lqe8wXAW#48
GM Zhu Jiner
Photo: Anna Shtourman / FIDE
The two players soon entered a mostly equal, but slightly easier-to-play for Black, endgame, but both players were in severe time trouble by move 30. With the position further simplified to an equal, but more comfortable for Black, rook endgame, Divya Deshmukh was able to capitalize on her opponent’s less accurate play under time pressure and win an intense game. Eventually, Divya won the match by drawing a game she was otherwise winning, eliminating Zhu Jiner as she now waits to face her compatriot Harika Dronavalli for the quarterfinals.
A missed opportunity
The impressive journey of the 19 years old Umida Omonova in the Women’s World Cup came to an end as she was eliminated by the event’s top seed, Lei Tingjie. This, however, did not come without a fight, or an opportunity to equalize the match, which was nevertheless missed. With the Nimzo-Indian, Lei Tingjie was able to get an advantageous middlegame, where she had the bishop pair advantage and an isolated d5 pawn to target. Matters got worse for Omonova, however, when, possibly trying to create counterplay, she decided to sacrifice an exchange.
https://lichess.org/study/EozTSNqp/schYQqSe#44
WIM Umida Omonova and GM Lei Tingjie
Photo: Anna Shtourman / FIDE
The passed c-pawn did not prove to be sufficient compensation. In fact, not only was Black unable to make progress with the pawns, but it was also in fact White who made progress in her position. As White secured an outpost for her knight on c6, Black was unable to keep defending both the weak d5 pawn as well as the f6 pawn, as well as her weak king, resigning soon after.
Omonova’s opportunity would come in the rematch. The two players navigated a position arising from the Petrov, which was relatively balanced, but where White had a slight edge for the most part and was aiming to seize the initiative. Lei’s inaccurate defensive choices while under time pressure gave Omonova the opportunity for an overwhelming attack, which she was unable to finish off.
https://lichess.org/study/BIaVOPDb/fdKKnVD6#78
GM Lei Tingjie
Photo: Anna Shtourman / FIDE
In this position, f4, also threatening f5, would create significant problems for Black. The resulting lines, though, are fairly complex to navigate and evaluate. In the game, Omonova went for the much more natural-looking Nf5, exploiting the piece alignment and eventually winning a pawn. This did not prove to be enough, however, as Lei drew the game and qualified to the next round.
A dramatic finale
An initially peaceful match would take a dramatic turn in the tiebreaks, with the quarterfinals spot eventually decided in the blitz section. The classical games between Vaishali and Kamalidenova were both drawn; one early draw, and another game where neither player managed to get an advantage in the 70 moves it lasted. This, however, did not indicate in the slightest what would follow in the tiebreaks.
GM Vaishali Rameshbabu and WGM Meruert Kamalidenova
Photo: Anna Shtourman / FIDE
After Kamaledinova won the first game of the rapid tiebreak, Vaishali struck back in the second game. The match continued with another rapid tiebreak – and the same pattern of both players winning their game with the white pieces repeated. Finally, in the following blitz tiebreak, Vaishali drew the first game with the black pieces and then beat Kamaledinova again as White, after Kamaledinova gave away her advantage and couldn’t stop Vaishali’s passed pawns. Vaishali advanced to the quarter-finals after an exciting eight-game match!
Puzzle Pack
Enjoy our collection of puzzles from the FIDE Women’s World Cup 2025!
https://lichess.org/study/6lb13AlX